Review

Michael Veitch places us right at the scene of the battle of the Bismarck Sea

By Michael McKernan
September 4 2021 - 12:00am
Standing behind the cockpit of an RAAF Beaufighter, war photographer Damien Parer captures Squadron Leader Ron "Torchy" Uren taking a swig from his canteen as the battle rages below. Picture: The Australian War Memorial
Standing behind the cockpit of an RAAF Beaufighter, war photographer Damien Parer captures Squadron Leader Ron "Torchy" Uren taking a swig from his canteen as the battle rages below. Picture: The Australian War Memorial
  • The Battle of the Bismarck Sea: the forgotten battle that saved the Pacific, by Michael Veitch. Hachette, $32.99.

It is hard to write about battle, very, very hard indeed. As Helmuth von Moltke wrote: "no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy". Michael Veitch's brilliant account of the battle of the Bismarck Sea, throwing Allied aircraft against a substantial Japanese convoy in March 1943, fundamentally contradicts that adage. Covering nearly 40 pages towards the end of his book, Veitch's stunning and descriptive narrative allows the reader to follow every phase of the battle.

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